Leading real hands on tech review site in Ireland with technology, business news and more. Jim O Brien Tech.
Author: Jim O Brien/CEO
CEO and expert in transport and Mobile tech. A fan 20 years, mobile consultant, Nokia Mobile expert, Former Nokia/Microsoft VIP,Multiple forum tech supporter with worldwide top ranking,Working in the background on mobile technology, Weekly radio show, Featured on the RTE consumer show, Cavan TV and on TRT WORLD. Award winning Technology reviewer and blogger. Security and logisitcs Professional.
The courier industry is a cut throat business today and with a myriad of well established options available across the land and having worked in the industry for some 20 years myself it is not going to change anytime soon and with the huge increase in eCommerce over the last few years there is now a strain showing and pressure mounting on companies with Christmas and Brexit online sales already are increasing now and it will be interesting to see how companies will cope with the huge volume expected this Xmas season…Once was what was inherently a B2B (Business to Business) industry its changed and now has now evolved into a B2C (Business to Customer) business too thanks to the eCommerce boom. Also you have the other known service C2C (Customer to Customer) Envoy have entered the market perhaps just at the right time here to avail of the pickings available in the industry but they do have a partnership with known carriers called GLS whom have multiple hubs across the country like its competitors Nightline,Fastway and DPD etc.. The company offers similar services to what it is on offer by others..The standard service offers two-day delivery if you book before 4pm..
Envoy are an Irish company dedicated to creating a premium delivery service accessible to SMEs and consumers. They offer the first real alternative to the the post office for parcels, packages and registered post, with some key advantages.Anyone with access to a computer or a smartphone can use our simple site to arrange to have a parcel collected from any location in Ireland and delivered to anywhere in Europe.
How it works..
Choose the weight of parcel you want delivered.
Enter collection and delivery locations.
Confirm your order and enter your payment details (one time only!)
Standard service offers two-day delivery. If you book before 4pm (and usually after), the driver will arrive with a pre-printed label to collect your parcel the following working day, with delivery the day after that. For your peace of mind, all of our deliveries are signed for.
Envoy deliver to 35 countries around Europe, offering great rates such as €20 (+ VAT) to send up to 20kg to the UK.
Delivery is a key component of online selling, whether through Adverts.ie, eBay or any custom platform. With Envoy you have access to a low-cost, door-to-door delivery service with transparent pricing and reliable two-day turnaround. You also get that all-important signature as proof of delivery. For those returning goods bought online, within Ireland, the UK or anywhere in Europe, we can take the hassle out of the process. Envoy will collect the item you want returned and deliver it to any Returns Department or store in Europe.
We also have a business solution, called Envoy Enterprise. If you send a lot of parcels or if you need next day delivery, our bespoke solution allows you to book deliveries, print custom labels and have your parcels collected that day. Simply pay for your labels as you book them. Similarly, our Registered Post solution collects and delivers your registered items. We’re cheaper than the Post Office that you no longer have to visit.
Conor also tells is what’s on the roadmap . .
An app is one of the enhancements we’re currently working on! You can still book via smartphone in the interim.
Also on the roadmap are other features to make our service even better:
* Parcelshops for pick-up and drop-off. * Collection/delivery from anywhere in Europe. * API integration.
Driving when on your phone is silly and yet we all see hundreds of people on their phones still today even after laws have come in to try discourage us from picking up the phone or checking it whilst behind the wheel. Of course we can use the native flight mode built in or just switch the phone off when we are driving but in todays world lots of us are afraid we will miss something or else just sending text,checking social and emails whilst we are sat in our car..Even when sitting in traffic we should not be doing it but with the traffic problems we have its easily tempting to pick up our mobile phones to take a peek or reply to a message and so on. This new app aims to change that..
Drive Safe creator Andrew Irwin, a 23-year-old student of Computing in Software Development in Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, believes the app could make an immediate difference in changing driver behaviour.
Drive Safe can detect when you’re driving using Auto Start and put your phone on silent so you wont be distracted by your phone ringing while driving, and Auto replies via text message to incoming calls & “sms” text messages.The app uses your mobile phones accelerometer…
“Simply the goal is to save lives. With one tap Drive Safe could help prevent fatalities and serious car accidents attributed to mobile phone usage while driving,” he said.
“I’ve always strived to keep the app as simple as possible, so that anyone of any technical ability or age can use the app first time, with ease. I have also tried to keep as much language out of the app as possible, as Drive Safe is a global app, used all around the world.”
NOTE – Auto replies may only work using the standard default sms messaging app, Auto replies may not work with Facebook messenger or hangouts etc, Drive Safe may not work on all smart phones
Drive Safe Features
Emergency Mode:
After 3 incoming calls from the same caller, the app will switch off.
You can now create your own custom message for auto reply
you can choose not to reply to calls, or not to reply to texts.
Switch Drive Safe on/off using the Big button in the app.
When the button is red Drive Safe is off.
when the button is green Drive Safe is on.
Drive Safe can also be switched on using Auto Start.
Consolidating people in with the same interests can be a task for some but with many social apps out there today there is many means and ways to keep in check with the likes of social media and so and in particular LinkedIn would be a good example of making connections with those who suit your area of interest. This new app though is aimed at Freelance and from being a past movie extras member myself at times communications where lost be it via email or text or again a number being lost.That was some years ago though but thing have changed since and now with the likes of social media and apps things have got much easier….
The app allows productions to create calls to fill positions for their respective projects, and for potential crew to indicate their availability, experience, and skillset on their profiles.
Individual users can check out the latest calls that match their skills nearby, and can receive push notifications once a new call has been created in their area. Producers can quickly search through all the available freelancers based on their skills.
However this comes with a subscription service which is not really an issue. Its €20 for basic users and pro users will have to foot a charge of €100.. For that though you get more, you can view complete profiles and work history of prospective freelancers.
Features
Freelance Film & TV Ireland brings together all freelancers in the industry at the
push of a button.
Productions can create calls to fill positions for their respective
projects and potential crew can indicate their availability, experience and skill set
on their profiles.
Want to keep an eye on those calories ?? Maybe not now but after the Xmas you will when we all take a dash for the gym then a month later quit…. LOL..
This new app might be of some assistance which can also let you scan barcodes to get food contents and take photos and log the information,it essentially logs your intake like calories and so on. This is in Beta right now but it is something you might want to check out if you feel like you need to watch your weight or check what your intake is like.. The app is in a neural stage if you will gathering intelligence and a user database and sure who does not like taking photos of food and posting them to Instagram this will certainly for you guys and you can monitor what you eat at the same time… We will give it a go for a bit and see how it works anyway..
You simply select a meal,snap a photo,confirm your food,it can pick up more than one foodtype in a single photo,enter the info ,select size and then confirm….There is two versions of the app which is FREE and premium available which obviously gets you more features… You can download on Android, iOS, Nook, Kindle, and the Web.See how it all works HERE
FEATURES
SET YOUR GOALS & ACHIEVE THEM
Lose It! helps you set your daily budget, plus goals for nutrients (carbs, fat, protein, fiber, sugar, etc.), weight loss, exercise, blood pressure, hydration and more! You set the goals, we’ll help you with the plan to achieve them.
TRACK YOURSELF
Lose It! offers simple, easy-to-use tools for tracking what you eat and do. Just search it, scan it, or snap it! Search for foods and exercise types in our database of over 7 million items, scan your food package with the nifty barcode scanner, or snap a pic and let Snap It [NEW] do the rest.
INSIGHTS TO SUCCESS
Want to go beyond calorie tracking to break through a weight loss plateau? Lose It! Insights help you learn more about your logs, like where your carbs and calories are coming from, plus the foods that help or hinder your progress.
CONNECT APPS & DEVICES
Lose It! Makes fitness tracking a breeze. Connect to the best health and fitness devices, trackers, and apps available (Google Fit included) to seamlessly track calories burned from exercise, steps, and more.
GET SUPPORT & ACCOUNTABILITY
In-person meetings are so last century. Access your support network from your fingertips through our social features. With Lose It!, you can connect to friends, family, and peers around the clock for the support you need, when you need it.
ANSWER THAT BURNING QUESTION: HOW DO I LOSE WEIGHT?
Introducing The How – the complete nutrition and fitness program designed to teach you how to be the healthiest version of yourself! Our comprehensive meal plan database and fitness library can be accessed directly in Lose It!
CHALLENGES THAT MOTIVATE
Health & fitness is more fun with friends. Unlock your competitive side and achieve your goals with Challenges in Lose It! Whether it’s weight loss, exercise, or total wellness, Lose It! offers head-to-head, team, and group-based challenges. Compete with each other or work together toward a common goal. Join a public challenge or create your own!
Google have just launched a new VR-ish app which uses your devices gyroscope, As is we cant take 360 degree videos on our mobile phones to date but it will happen someday. This app is effectively VR and photos mashed up as they put it themselves.. To use the app you just wave your device in the air,tap the screen and repeat and so on you will pick it up petty quick,Probably not an app I will use much just yet but hey it is a cool concept..
Sprayscape is a quick hack using the phone’s gyroscope to take pictures on the inside of a 360-degree sphere. Just point your phone and tap the screen to spray faces, places, or anything else onto your canvas. Like what you’ve captured? Share your creations via a link and your friends can jump into your scapes and have a look around using their phones or even Google Cardboard.
Sprayscape maps the camera feed on a 360 degree sphere, using the Cardboard SDK to handle gyroscope data and the NatCam Unity plugin for precise camera control.
When you launch the app on your device it reminds you of Snapchat but you can share link easily via the app onto Facebook or email and you must be signed in with a Google Account.. Get it below from the store if you fancy trying it out… Or see Android Experiments for more
From realms all across Skylands, the greatest young warriors, Spyro, Eruptor, Stealth Elf, Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz, are trained at Skylanders Academy to protect the universe from evil-doers. Skylanders Academy, based on the video game franchise from Activision Blizzard available on Netflix from 28 October.
Based on Activision Blizzard’s record-breaking video game franchise, the show follows the heroic adventures of Spyro, Eruptor, Stealth Elf, Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz as they travel the vast Skylands universe, protecting it from evil-doers.
As darkness begins to threaten the balance of peace in the Skylands, Master Eon is forced to assemble a ragtag group of heroes to protect the universe from evil-doers Kaos and the Doom Raiders. Using their unique blend of personalities and elemental-based super powers, Spyro and his fellow Skylanders are called upon to set aside egos as they come together to maintain harmony and balance in the land. Jam-packed with humour, heart and memorable moments, Skylanders Academy promises to keep viewers on the edge of their seats with epic action for kids of all ages.
Led by showrunner Eric Rogers (Dodgeball), the series features the voices of Justin Long (Ask Me Anything) as Spyro; Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical) as Stealth Elf; Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad) as Eruptor; and Norm MacDonald (Saturday Night Live) as Glumshanks. Additional voice talent includes Susan Sarandon, Daniel Wu, Parker Posey, James Hetfield, Catherine O’Hara, Chris Diamantopoulos, Bobcat Goldthwait, Diamond Minecart and Harland Williams, among others.
Netflix members worldwide will be able to join in the adventure and humour of learning the “Skylander way” starting this Autumn. Season 1 launches exclusively on Netflix October 28, with Season 2 landing in late 2017.
Microsoft have announced that the mega expensive Holo Lens is to be made available here in Ireland. Yes I said IRELAND.Something we are kind of not used to seeing, and from today you can pre-order. One thing though if you have been sleeping under a rock or have no interest in the technology which is holographic you will probably want to have a chat with the bank manager first.. Why you might ask, Well it just starts from only € 3,299.00 including VAT.. If you really want to shine with your bank manager try asking for the Commercial Suite,that only costs €5,489.00 also including VAT. You can pre-order HERE
Microsoft today said….
Microsoft HoloLens, the world’s first self-contained holographic computer running Windows 10, is now available for pre-order in select markets in Europe – France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom – with devices shipping later this year.
The news comes during a time when HoloLens is experiencing tremendous support and demand from developers and commercial customers and partners around the globe. In addition to these four European markets, HoloLens is also now available for pre-order in Australia and New Zealand.
“Since the launch of HoloLens we have seen really passionate developers and world-class companies develop ground breaking computing experiences, experiences only possible on HoloLens” said Alex Kipman, Technical Fellow, Microsoft Windows and Devices Group. “When we set out to pioneer the mixed reality category we knew that many of the best innovations would be discovered when others got their hands on the technology. It has been quite inspiring to see what our partners have built and what individual developers have created. Together, we have only scratched the surface for what mixed reality can do. I can’t wait to see what happens next as we welcome these new countries to our holographic landscape.”
Last night we attended the Irish Launch of the much anticipated Sony PlaySation VR headset,Being big fans of VR here it was a great event in a great setting with plenty of demonstration units to boot ensuring plenty of fans and media alike could test out the latest VR headset to the market and it certainly has me sold after trying a few games it truly is an immersive experience and PS4 owners alike will not be disappointed given its got a €400 price-tag.. Unlike other competitors in the market offering this kind of experience which requires really expensive hardware if you’ve got a PS4 you are good to go…
Credit to joe.ie for featuring myself in the video
PS VR, which is compatible with the more than 40 million PS4 systems already inside consumers’ homes, arrives with a lineup of 30 games, including exclusive titles such as Rez Infinite (Monstars & Enhance Games), Batman™: Arkham VR (RockSteady and Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment), DRIVECLUB VR and RIGS Mechanized Combat League (SIE Worldwide Studios). In total, PS VR will have a library of approximately 50 games by the end of the year.
First up you can check out the set up here in the first video of the night where the event was held in Dublin City Centre…
As mentioned there was plenty of demonstration units available to give multiple people a chance to try the headset which did not leave you waiting long to take your turn.. There was also some nice snacks at hand and the staff where excellent and took time to speak to you and get your view on the product,we also did an interview with one of the other media outlets on site.
Next up Oisin gives us an overview of the set up and what is involved,this guy was excellent and spent some time with us giving us demos and talking us through the process and was there at hand should you need it,trust me some experiences did nearly make me fall off the seat.. This is really immersive… Having tried tested and now owning around some 20 VR headsets personally this is something you must try,with a good platform to build on and with gaming still very popular here in Ireland and all over the world they are setting off on the right foot…
“We are incredibly excited to bring virtual reality to PlayStation 4,” said Jim Ryan, President of Global Sales and Marketing, SIE and President of SIEE. “PSVR puts the player right in the centre of the action, immersing them in extraordinary new worlds. PS VR is a milestone in home entertainment and it very much needs to be experienced to be believed”
The headset itself is not so big nor is it cumbersome and fits comfortably around the head, but it does take getting a minute to comfort yourself with it and whilst holding the move its feels a bit weird holding them for the first time when you cant see a thing but Oisin was there to help out with the set up process and guide us through what needs to be done which after a few moments was easy and oh boy its a great experience…For me I kinda lost interest in gaming a few years ago probably due to age but this is on another level it’s simply a great experience and much better than anticipated..
PS VR delivers a sense of presence, where players feel as though they are physically inside the virtual world of a game. PS VR leverages state-of-the-art technologies, such as 360 degree head tracking, wide field of view, high refresh rates, and SIE’s own binaural 3D audio technology, to heighten the emotions gamers experience as they play and make them believe they’ve been transported to another world. By using peripherals such as PlayStation®Move Motion Controller, DUALSHOCK®4 Wireless Controller and the upcoming PS VR Aim Controller, players can explore virtual environments and intuitively interact with characters as if they are actually present in the world of a game. PS VR integrates a “Social Screen” feature that allows users who are not wearing the VR headset to see on the TV what the PS VR player is seeing in the headset, or to play alongside the VR player in supporting games.
Its the one and only @bazashmawy who told me he really likes this and he also enjoyed the night and was great to have a chat with him for a few minutes, Really nice guy..
Check out below some more clips of the action and then hop down to the image gallery below We tried out several of the games at hand but not all but the experience was fantastic overall and there will be one of these headset heading into techbuzz headquarters very soon..London Heist was probably my favourite where you get to sit beside a bad ass driver with quite a few rounds of magazines and a gun and fire to your hearts content shooting the baddies,this was really immersive and using the Move controllers to do things like you would in real life was an amazing experience. Any questions fire away in the comments section or hit us up on social at @techuzzireland and we will gladly answer any questions you may have. We would also like thank all involved with the event and it was a well run night it has to be said.. Dont forget this goes on sale this Thursday, 13th October. Check out Playstation VR for more.. If you pick one up feel free to send in your thoughts to us…
More to follow.
Games such as PLAYROOM VR (SIE WWS), which will be available as a free download to all PS VR owners, take advantage of this feature and demonstrate how PS VR can create unique multiplayer experiences when shared with friends and family.
PS VR will launch with a large and diverse lineup of first- and third-party games including EVE: Valkyrie (CCP Games), Thumper (Drool), 100ft Robot Golf (No Goblin), Job Simulator (Owlchemy Games), Superhypercube (Polytron), Battlezone (Rebellion), Eagle Flight (Ubisoft), Here They Lie™, PlayStation®VR WORLDS and Until Dawn™: Rush of Blood (SIE WWS).
With more than 230 developers and publishers*3 working on PS VR titles, the system’s games portfolio will continue to expand after launch with highly anticipated games including RESIDENT EVIL® 7 biohazard (Capcom Co., Ltd), ROBINSON: THE JOURNEY™ (Crytek), Star Wars™ Battlefront™ Rogue One: X-wing VR Mission (Electronic Arts Inc.)*4, Star Trek: Bridge Crew (Ubisoft)and Farpoint (SIE WWS). In addition to a best-in-class gaming lineup, there will be a variety of VR experiences and media applications coming to PS VR, including, Allumette (Penrose), Invasion! (Baobab), Kismet (PsyOp), Within, LittlStar, Vrideo, and The Martian (Fox).
Image gallery of the night
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Irish gamers have the chance to be first to explore virtual reality gaming, with a pop-in gaming centre open for hands-on PlayStation®VR demos. The Dublin City Centre pop-up is open each day, Wednesday 13th to Sunday 16th October. Avid gamers or just the VR-curious can book a slot for PlayStation®VR demo on games including Battlezone, Rigs, VR Worlds, Headmaster and Eve Valkyrie. To book a slot go to: http://www.trypsvr.com. Walk in slots available and players must be over 12 years.
*1 SIEE Territories for launch on October 13th, 2016 include: UK, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Italy, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland,
Portugal, New Zealand, Poland, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Greece.
SIEE Territories for launch on January 24th,2017 include: Kuwait, Qatar, Bahraim, Oman, S Africa, Turkey & India, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria & Romania, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, Israel, Cyprus, Malta and Iceland
*2 Information as of October 13, 2016. Release titles may differ according to country/region. Release dates may be changed depending on individual titles.
*3 Number as of October 13, 2016.
*4 Star Wars™ Battlefront is required to play the mission
*5 Entertainment apps availability will vary by regions. Users are responsible for applicable service fees.
Perhaps something more for the kids but nonetheless its quite good if you are into Dinosaurs.. You can hop on a prehistoric creature and go for a ride and if you look down its quite impressive also the scenery is nice and at one stage a big whale jumps out of the sea when you just come to the edge of the cliff which is a nice touch… Jurassic VR has been a Virtual Reality sensation with a massive 3 million downloads to its credit,can this live up to it too???
Features
– Fly a Dinosaur (Pterosaurs)
– Ride (joyride) a Dinosaur
– Huge dinosaur island to explore
– Visit the prehistoric museum
– Many dinos such as Tyrannosaurus(T-Rex), Diplodocus, Pentaceratops, and many more
– Dinosaur simulator allow up-and-close live interaction
– Supports VR Google Cardboard and touch non-VR play
Download this free VR game and travel back in time to the prehistoric times where you can roam the earth observing dinosaurs in a full 360 VR experience. Jump on the back of a Pterosaurs flying dinosaur and see how it is to fly such a huge creature; or hop on the back for a joyride on a Raptor and see how they lived their daily live. Watch out as you might run into a T-Rex along the way!
Want to inspect a dino up close? Take a trip to the museum where you have 5 halls filled with dinosaurs and a cool 360 video simulator that allows you to inspect interactive dino’s up close. A bit to scared to fly a dino then the simulation mode is an excellent way for players to ease into the prehistoric world.
